#madelineashby

[zzkt]

I get asked why there aren't more depictions of utopias, and here's why: utopias are always-already conflicted in a way that dystopias, or visions of them, are not. https://t.co/qfgy6uftHh

— Madeline Ashby (@MadelineAshby) July 13, 2018

(via http://twitter.com/MadelineAshby/status/1017883219209981953)

[jogosity]

Book review: "vN" by Madeline Ashby

Robots and artificial intelligence are a continuing, rich mine of stories and ideas for science fiction novels. vN seems to be the first in a new series of novels examining the ethics of how humans will treat artificial lifeforms. The story starts with a domestic scene mixing blissful love with mild tension between a natural human, Jack, and his artificial partner, Charlotte.

Their daughter, Amy is actually Charlotte's daughter alone, produced through a process called iteration that allows all artificial von Neumann machines to produce clones asexually.

Obviously things soon move from stasis to chaos and the narrative focusses on the rapidly growing  Amy as she ends up on the wrong side of the law, hounded by both the police and her own grandmother, Portia.

Although much of the set up is pretty conventional, the book does have a few nice ideas up its sleeve and Madeline Ashby has a tremendous feel for her vN creations that keeps everything interesting. However, there are times when the pacing sinks a little as plot points telegraph themselves with bright, obvious beacons and escapes and resolutions vary between the uncomfortably convenient to the totally unbelievable.

Even more problematic are the secondary characters - particularly some late introductions whose motivations don't seem to hold any water at all.

Judged by the yardstick of contemporary hard sci-fi, vN starts out with promise but swiftly lapses into unsophisticated adventure. However, perhaps that is the wrong judgement to use, vN actually feels more of a YA novel with its determined but confused female lead, coming to terms with adulthood and with baffling decisions ahead of her. Put through this prism, vN fares a lot better at achieving its own goals.

Amy, the conflicted female lead, works well without breaking any pre-existing molds. Most importantly, the books biggest idea, and I'll not spoil anything here, really works well, effectively giving the book its spine. This, coupled with an audacious climax leaves you feeling satisfied, if not massively impressed.

Would I go back for the sequels? Yes, actually I think I would. There's an interesting world, here, and a light, easy writing style that makes the book an easy read, even if Ashby's technique lets her down at some of the more demanding action sequences. I think there's a better story to be told and a better book waiting just around the corner of this one.

vN is published by Angry Robot